Cost & financial aid brief
University of South Florida Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does USF cost after financial aid?
Pricing after aid at University of South Florida tilts toward lower-income families. Recipients in the lowest income band pay $4,122 on average, compared with $18,497 in the highest band, a distance of $14,375.
Grants and scholarships absorb about 57% of the sticker cost for a typical aid recipient. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported first-year aid figures for the 2025-26 academic year.
The university met an average of 70% of need for first-year aid recipients with need, who received an average need-based grant of $14,244 and an average total package of $16,245. Of the 3,245 students determined to have need, 458 had their need fully met.
The university also awarded merit aid in the 2025-26 academic year to 1,070 first-year students, averaging $3,422.
The University of South Florida publishes a cost of attendance of $22,859, with in-state tuition and fees of $6,410 and out-of-state tuition and fees of $17,324. After aid, the average net price for families earning under $30,000 is $4,122, for families earning $48,001–$75,000 it is $9,326, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $18,497.
Azimuth ranks the university #105 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Financial aid savings reduce the sticker price by $13,047, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $9,812.
That figure is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size), with a gap of $5,822. Median federal student debt at completion is $17,988, with 71.4% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans.
That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions, with a gap of $2,088. The median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $15,541.
If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a graduate with the median federal debt is $204.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The median federal student debt for borrowers who finish at University of South Florida is $17,988. Roughly 71.4% of federal aid recipients use federal loans.
Compared with the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below by $2,088. Parent PLUS debt, a separate parent-borrower population, has a median of $15,541.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 32% of 5,714 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source, averaging $20,774 per borrower. Among those graduates, 31% held federal loans averaging $17,194, including 5% who carried private loans averaging $27,435.
Earnings at University of South Florida sit below the peer median, while borrowing stays below it. The two figures pull in opposite directions for the investment picture.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,079. That is $3,531 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Graduates earn about $4,813 less than expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,261 in a downside case to $85,320 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $62,079. On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $17,988, which is $2,088 below the peer median.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $204 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $15,541. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $204.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $15,541
- Estimated parent payment
- $197/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $17,988
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $15,541
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $204/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $197/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $401/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $62,079, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.2% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.